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Our society needs people to haul garbage away. I would bet many of them don’t do it because it’s rewarding. It just gives them money to pay for things they care

by mfer 5y ago

Our society needs people to haul garbage away. I would bet many of them don’t do it because it’s rewarding. It just gives them money to pay for things they care about. Should all those people leave hauling our garbage?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
sgtnoodle 5y ago
Hauling away garbage is a thankless but virtuous task that benefits society. I would bet that a fair number of workers in that space actually do find satisfaction in it. Likewise, my usual UPS delivery driver seems to take pride in his work and I've noticed and appreciate it. The longer I work in tech, the more I get the itch to quit and work as a handyman or something for a few years.
- convolvatron 5y ago
  you will be amazed at the satisfaction you get from doing something to better the world a tiny bit and help your fellow man. and how much skill and creativity some of those other people express every day.
MisterBastahrd 5y ago
There are actually people who have retired from their IT jobs to drive garbage trucks. If the garbage hauling job doesn't itch a scratch that you have, then find something else or raise the pay until someone is happy to haul your trash.
- shard 5y ago
  Sounds like there are hierarchies in the garbagemen business. I recall reading an article a few years back about garbagemen, the ones who ride on the back of the trucks, they do back-breaking work, and it's definitely a young man's gig.
  - MisterBastahrd 5y ago
    I've admittedly never seen our garbage trucks in operation here in my Dallas suburb, but for over a decade in Louisiana, our garbage trucks were a 1 man crew who ran a robotic arm.
    - shard 5y ago
      Found the article, it's from 2018 about garbage collection in NYC: https://www.propublica.org/article/trashed-inside-the-deadly-world-of-private-garbage-collection https://www.propublica.org/article/trashed-inside-the-deadly...
wccrawford 5y ago
When I worked retail, I met a lot of people who I would bet didn't find the work rewarding at all. They were there to get the paycheck. Most of them did as well as they did because they felt it was the right thing to do, but some only did well enough to not lose their job. The older I get, the more I understand those people who only did enough to keep their job. I used to feel it was an ethical obligation to do my best, but I'm realizing that that is a one-sided view. The opposite argument was always "they don't treat me as well as they can" or something like that, and so they excused their own behavior... And I get it now. I have no doubt that there are many garbage collectors who find their job rewarding... But I've also no doubt that there are many who just do it for the money, and would be just as happy (or more so) if their needs were met by society and they could concentrate on something they enjoyed instead. FWIW, I think it's important that people do things that they feel contribute to society. But that doesn't have to be "work".
DarylZero 5y ago
It should be rewarding.

by mfer 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

sgtnoodle 5y ago

Hauling away garbage is a thankless but virtuous task that benefits society. I would bet that a fair number of workers in that space actually do find satisfaction in it. Likewise, my usual UPS delivery driver seems to take pride in his work and I've noticed and appreciate it. The longer I work in tech, the more I get the itch to quit and work as a handyman or something for a few years.

convolvatron 5y ago
you will be amazed at the satisfaction you get from doing something to better the world a tiny bit and help your fellow man. and how much skill and creativity some of those other people express every day.

MisterBastahrd 5y ago

There are actually people who have retired from their IT jobs to drive garbage trucks. If the garbage hauling job doesn't itch a scratch that you have, then find something else or raise the pay until someone is happy to haul your trash.

shard 5y ago
Sounds like there are hierarchies in the garbagemen business. I recall reading an article a few years back about garbagemen, the ones who ride on the back of the trucks, they do back-breaking work, and it's definitely a young man's gig.
- MisterBastahrd 5y ago
  I've admittedly never seen our garbage trucks in operation here in my Dallas suburb, but for over a decade in Louisiana, our garbage trucks were a 1 man crew who ran a robotic arm.
  - shard 5y ago
    Found the article, it's from 2018 about garbage collection in NYC: https://www.propublica.org/article/trashed-inside-the-deadly-world-of-private-garbage-collection https://www.propublica.org/article/trashed-inside-the-deadly...

wccrawford 5y ago

When I worked retail, I met a lot of people who I would bet didn't find the work rewarding at all. They were there to get the paycheck. Most of them did as well as they did because they felt it was the right thing to do, but some only did well enough to not lose their job. The older I get, the more I understand those people who only did enough to keep their job. I used to feel it was an ethical obligation to do my best, but I'm realizing that that is a one-sided view. The opposite argument was always "they don't treat me as well as they can" or something like that, and so they excused their own behavior... And I get it now. I have no doubt that there are many garbage collectors who find their job rewarding... But I've also no doubt that there are many who just do it for the money, and would be just as happy (or more so) if their needs were met by society and they could concentrate on something they enjoyed instead. FWIW, I think it's important that people do things that they feel contribute to society. But that doesn't have to be "work".

DarylZero 5y ago

It should be rewarding.